Kingdom Hearts 3: Domain of Doors
by Golden Keyblade
Summary: Sora, Riku, and Kairi are called on another mission. This time, the Heartless and Nobodies have teamed up in search of a mysterious place called the Domain of Doors. Rated T because I'm paranoid. ON PERMANENT HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1: The King's Message

**Kingdom Hearts III: Domain of Doors **

Chapter 1: The King's Message 

**A/N: I don't own anything in the story except for a few original worlds and my OC, the new person they meet at Disney Castle. **

Destiny Islands 

It was sunset on the island. Riku sat on the branch of a paopu tree, looking at the sunset. He and Sora had returned from the Realm of Darkness just the day before, and he had not had a private moment in all that time.

Sora walked out of an old wooden door. The Keyblade wielder grinned at Riku as he leaned against the part of the branch next to Riku.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" asked Riku.

"Nope," said Sora. "And nothing will."

"What a small world," said Riku, and they both knew he meant it literally.

"But part of one that's much bigger," said Sora.

"Yeah," agreed Riku, smiling.

They were silent for a moment. Then Sora decided to ask the question that had been troubling him.

"Hey, Riku?" he asked. "What do you think it was- the door to the light, I mean?"

Riku didn't answer immediately. Instead, he got up off the branch and walked over to Sora. He reached over to his best friend and touched his heart. "This," he said simply.

Sora looked down at his heart. "This?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Riku. "It's always closer than you think. Don't lose sight of it."

Sora grinned.

Just then, they heard a girl's voice calling out to them, and Kairi, Sora's red-haired girlfriend, sprinted through the door Sora had just come through. She was clutching a glass bottle under one arm.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Sora as Kairi jogged in front of the two boys.

"Look," said Kairi, holding up the bottle. Inside was a piece of paper bearing a seal made out of three circles, two small and one large. Sora recognized it.

"From the King?" he asked. He took the bottle and, his hand shaking, took out the message. Together the three best friends read what King Mickey had written.

_Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi, _

_You must come to Disney Castle immediately. There is an imminent threat to the safety of the worlds. I don't have time to explain, but there is the possibility that our enemies are about to return, more powerful than ever before. Before you come, make sure that you lock the Keyhole of your own world. Then, at midnight on the night you receive this note, go to the small island and raise your Keyblades above your heads, saying, "I accept the summons." This will cause the portal I have created to open, instantly transporting you to Disney Castle. _

_Awaiting your arrival, _

_King Mickey _

Sora finished reading the letter, but could not process exactly what he had just read. He turned to Riku, who gave him a weak smile.

"It looks like we've got another adventure ahead of us, eh, Sora?" he said.

"NO!" yelled Kairi suddenly, knocking the note out of Sora's hands.

Sora and Riku both glanced at the redhead. Neither of them would have believed it if they hadn't both just seen it. They stared at Kairi in shock. Kairi blushed.

"It's just...you just got here," she said. "I haven't seen either of you for a full year, and now... I might lose both of you all over again, maybe forever!"

"I'm sorry, Kairi," said Sora, "but King Mickey's note said the worlds are in danger, and..."

"She's coming with us," interrupted Riku.

Now Sora and Kairi both glanced at Riku, who simply pointed at the note on the ground. "He said he wanted Sora, Riku, _and_ Kairi," he said. "All three of us are going."

"Are you INSANE?" screamed Sora. "Kairi is NOT coming with us! What if she gets hurt? What then?"

Kairi, however, was ecstatic. The thing she longed for most in all the worlds was to go on an adventure with Sora and Riku...mostly Sora.

"Don't worry about me," said Kairi. She held out one hand, and the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade appeared there. "I can handle myself out there."

Sora reluctantly nodded. "You were really brave back in the World that Never Was," he said. "If anyone else gets to go with us, it should be you."

Kairi smiled. She was going on an adventure to other worlds with Sora! And of course Riku, but she could only think about Sora for some reason.

_It's because you like him_, said Naminé inside her.

"Be quiet, Naminé," she whispered, though she knew no one else could hear her Nobody's voice.

"What?" asked Sora.

"Nothing," said Kairi.

Riku had picked up the note and was surveying it for a second time. "Hmm," he said. "King Mickey told us to seal the Keyhole of Destiny Islands. We'd better get to the cave behind the waterfall."

"Wait," said Sora. "Didn't all the Keyholes seal all by themselves after we defeated Ansem- I mean, the Heartless of Xehanort?"

"I thought that's what the King said," said Riku. "That _is_ weird." He shrugged. "He'll probably explain it when we see him later tonight."

The group walked slowly to the waterfall, thinking out loud about the note. When they reached the waterfall, they all began to crawl on hands and knees into the cave, hidden behind a wall of vines.

Inside the cave was a wooden door with a large golden keyhole. This was the Keyhole to the heart of the world. On its right was a chalk drawing of Sora and Kairi. A relatively recent addition showed the two giving a paopu fruit to each other. Sora had drawn the first half, and from the blush that appeared on Kairi's face, he suspected she had drawn in the other half.

"Go ahead, Kairi," said Riku.

Kairi stared. "Go ahead and do what?" she asked.

"It's your turn to lock the Keyhole," said Riku. "Come on. Just point your Keyblade at it."

Slowly, slightly nervously, Kairi raised her right hand. Destiny's Embrace appeared there. The redhead pointed the Keyblade at the Keyhole. A beam of light few straight from the Keyblade to the Keyhole. There was a flash of light, an extremely faint click, and when the light faded away again, the Keyhole was gone.

"Good job!" said Sora, putting his hand on Kairi's left shoulder. This wasn't what he had planned to do; he'd only planned to give Kairi a pat on the back. But this, he thought quietly, was better. He wasn't sure how long he would have stood there if Riku hadn't cleared his throat.

"Alright," the white-haired teenager said, smiling in a way Sora found infuriating. "Let's split up. There will be a lot of time for lost romance later. We'll all meet over at the small island at midnight. That's when our new journey will start." He walked away.

"See you then, Kairi," said Sora. For a moment he was on the brink of saying something else, but then the moment passed, and he simply walked away after Riku.

Kairi stayed behind. She watched as the others walked away. Then, once they were out of earshot, she screamed as loudly as possible, "YES! I'm going on an adventure!"

* * *

11:58 P.M.

Sora shivered. Considering that Destiny Islands were a tropical archipelago, it was surprisingly cold at night.

Riku walked up. "Where's Kairi?" he asked.

Sora smiled and glanced around the small island. "The last time we stood here together, I was asking you that."

They both remembered the night their first adventures had begun. Destiny Islands had been torn apart by Heartless forces, and Riku had been pulled into the darkness. Kairi's heart had been sealed inside Sora, and Sora had been flung onto another world, called Traverse Town.

Just then, Kairi herself came running across the bridge to the small island. She stood with the others. Sora felt very sorry for her; he was cold, and he was wearing black pants, so long they could be tucked into his shoes. Kairi was only wearing a short pink dress, a white undershirt, and laced-up pink-and-white boots.

"You must be freezing," said Sora, voicing his feeling aloud. "Do you want to go get something warmer?"

"It's okay," said Kairi.

Riku checked his watch. "It's midnight," he said. "It's now or never."

Sora, Riku, and Kairi all summoned their Keyblades at once. Sora's Kingdom Key, Riku's Road to the Dawn, and Kairi's Destiny's Embrace all lifted into the sky, as all their voices cried out, "We accept the summons!"

A brilliant flash of light momentarily filled the island. Then it faded...and the three heroes were gone.

**So how did I do? Did I fill in the plot of the "cliffie" at the end of KH2? Tell me in the reviews! **

**Maybe there's a world you'd like to see in the story sometime soon! Unfortunately, I only have a few slots in this story available. But send in your ideas, and when it gets to that point, I will pick the three lucky worlds that will make an appearance in the story! **

**R&R! **


	2. Chapter 2: Darkness in Disney Castle

Chapter 2: Darkness In Disney Castle 

**A/N: Hey, it's me again, and I would like to do one little thing right here that is a bit of a spoiler, so those of you who do not like that sort of thing should skip the rest of this Author's Note. I would like to list all of the worlds I have planned for this story, old and new. Here they are, sorted by type: **

**Old: Destiny Islands, Disney Castle, Radiant Gardens, Port Royal, Agrabah, Halloween Town, Castle Oblivion (yes, it's coming back here), Twilight Town, Mysterious Tower, the Keyblade Graveyard **

**New (Disney): Kingdom of Light (_Tangled_), Narnia (_The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_), Syndrome's Island (_The Incredibles_), Paradise Falls (_Up_), Imperial Galaxy (_The Hitchhiker's Guide_), The Wasteland (_Epic Mickey_) **

**New (original): Naminé's Dream, Betwixt and Between (not technically new, but not an official world yet), The Domains of Doors **

**So...yeah, it turns out there's actually four slots for world submissions. I was going to do a world involving _The Princess and the Frog_, but I decided by the time the world came into play, I would've tortured myself a little too near my limit for that. **

**Oh, but if you send something in, for the love of all that is _Kingdom Hearts_, PLEASE keep it Disney! I am NOT going to make this a crossover with something that isn't Disney! Sci-fi is fine, Pixar is fine, movies that Disney only partially owns are fine, but no crossovers to stuff with no relationship to Disney! I have made a plan to write a sequel to this story, and that will have stuff in it that isn't Disney, but until then...no. (I know that I'm already breaking that rule with the partial crossover to _Pendragon_, but that's so faint that it barely applies.) **

**Wow, I can't believe I broke the one-page barrier! This is one LONG Author's Note. So let's make our way back to Disney Castle, shall we? **

**(P.S. As reviewer NotaHero21 pointed out, Riku is a bit OOC in the first chapter; I try to fix that here, but I can't really do Riku's character, so I'll try to limit the OOC-ness as much as possible.) **

Sora's PoV 

I can't remember what it was like to pass through that portal thing. In fact, I think the transport was instantaneous. One second I was standing on the island, saying the magic words and holding up the Kingdom Key, and the next I was hitting a hard metal floor.

"Whoa!" I yelled.

"What the...?" Riku shouted.

"Ow!" Kairi moaned.

I looked around. We were sprawled on a metal ledge. I could see a bunch of mechanical devices around us, turning and beeping and hissing and whirring.

It was the Gummi Ship Hangar.

"We're here!" I shouted, jumping up. "We made it!"

Riku and Kairi slowly clambered to their feet. Both of them seemed surprised by the impact, Riku because, until a few days ago, he had traveled only through the Corridors of Darkness, and Kairi because this was her first voluntary trip to another world.

"So...this is Disney Castle," said Riku. He smirked. "It doesn't look like much."

I sighed. Same old Riku, then.

"This is just the Gummi Ship Hangar," I said. "This is below the main castle. Follow me."

"Wait," Kairi said suddenly. "Didn't there used to be a couple of chipmunks who ran this garage?"

"Chip and Dale," I agreed. I had noticed this. "I've got to admit, it _is_ a little weird that they're not here."

We were silent for a minute. Finally I spoke up. "They should be waiting for us upstairs," I said. "Come on, guys!"

We walked up a nearby staircase I remembered led up to the gardens. At the top was the heavy metal door leading to the gardens. I grinned at the others.

"Here we go," he said, and pushed the door open.

Kairi screamed.

A Shadow Heartless had suddenly leapt straight by me and grabbed Riku. Instantly the Kingdom Key appeared in my hands. I swung it at the Shadow, which emitted a loud piercing shriek, collapsed, and disappeared in a small cloud of darkness.

"That was weird!" I said. "Why was that thing here in Disney Castle, anyway? I thought the Cornerstone of Light kept Heartless and Nobodies out!"

"Well, apparently not anymore!" shouted Riku. Using the hand not holding his Keyblade, he pointed past the steel doors. "Look."

I turned...and my heart sank.

They were facing the main courtyard of Disney Castle. I remember the first time I saw it. I could see the light that had streamed in from the sky. The garden had been full of plant sculptures of famous residents. But not now.

Now it was full of Heartless.

They were everywhere: Shadows, Neoshadows, Large Bodies, Red Nocturnes, Soldiers, Heartless of all kinds now swarmed around the castle, including some I hadn't seen in my other adventures. The sunlight was extinguished by the darkest, densest cloud layer I had ever seen.

"No," I said. "This can't be."

"Obviously it is," said Riku. "Come on, let's fight."

And with that, he summoned the Way to the Dawn in his hand and raced off to fight the Heartless.

"You stay here," I said, turning back to Kairi.

"Why?" asked Kairi angrily. "Is it because I'm a girl?"

"No!" I said. "It's because you're..."

_Just tell her_, said Roxas inside me. _Come on. Say that it's because you like her. After all, it's the truth_.

_Shut up_, I though.

"I'm coming," said Kairi. And with that, she raced out into the courtyard, summoning Destiny's Embrace. I sighed quietly, summoned the Kingdom Key, and sprinted into the courtyard after her.

Now, I'm pretty good in a fight, even when I'm totally outmatched. One time, in Hollow Bastion, Donald, Goofy, and I totally took down a thousand Heartless with no other help. But this was a completely different story. This time it was like the Heartless had some kind of extra power boost or something. They dodged all our attacks, hit every part of us, and completely resisted any attempts to stop them.

Basically, we got owned.

"These things didn't used to be so hard!" Riku shouted from somewhere to my left.

"I know!" I called back. "How are they so strong all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," said Riku, "but I am not enjoying this little experience."

I swung at a Shadow, but completely missed. "I think I liked you better when you were wimps!" I shouted.

We were slowly backed up into a circle by the gang of Heartless (though I'm not entirely sure if it counts as a real circle when there are only three people in it). We all aimed our Keyblades at the Heartless, but it wasn't enough. There were too many of them.

Suddenly I sensed movement on the courtyard wall. A blur of color passed by us...and all of a sudden there were four Keyblades in the circle.

"Your majesty!" I called in relief.

Standing on my right was King Mickey. He stood in a defensive stance, with his Kingdom Key D held in front of him. He looked up at me.

"I'm glad you guys could make it!" he said.

The end of the Kingdom Key D began to glow. With a swift motion, Mickey thrust the blade into the air. A bright light filled the courtyard, and when it faded away, all of the Heartless were frozen.

"That won't hold them long!" called Mickey. "We've got to get inside the castle before they unfreeze or more get in here!"

We started to follow him, but then suddenly I realized something.

"Hey... where's Donald?" I asked. "And Goofy? And Minnie? And Chip and Dale?"

"Minnie is inside," said Mickey. "Chip and Dale have been working on a new Gummi Ship for you. As for Goofy and Donald...it's harder to say."

I was suddenly hit by a sinking feeling. "Where...are... they?" I asked.

Mickey turned to me, and I could sense the sadness he was holding back.

"They're missing," he said. "Now come. We must seal the Keyhole of Disney Castle...before it is too late."

* * *

**As those of you who read _Calvin's Quest_ know, I do indeed love cliffies. I'm going to have a lot more of them in the future. **

**My OC gets introduced in the next chapter. That is also the chapter where we find out how all the Heartless got into Disney Castle, as well as learn about why all the Keyholes are open again and what Xehanort is planning to do next. **

**R&R! **


	3. Chapter 3: Xehanort's Return

Chapter 3: Xehanort's Return 

**A/N: Hey guys, and welcome to the incomplete final chapter of _Kingdom Hearts 3: Domain of Doors_! Yes, it's true: I have discontinued this story. There is no further work planned for it. One day I might go back and finish it, but as the story arc was going to go all the way to KH5, I doubt it. Basically, don't expect anything more on this story in the foreseeable future. I'm just going to post what I had for Chapter 3, and then I can leave with a clear conscience. If you all REALLY like it, I suppose I can get back to it, but unless I get a very positive response, I'm probably just going to end it off here. **

**So here's what I had!**

* * *

"Missing?" repeated Sora, as the group followed King Mickey into the halls ofDisneyCastle. Inside all seemed to be peaceful, but the halls seemed ominously empty.

"Yes," said Mickey. "Come. We must go."

"Where are we going?" asked Kairi, looking around.

"To the Hall of the Cornerstone," said Mickey. Seeing the look on Kairi's face, he explained. "The Cornerstone of Light is a powerful force of energy. It keeps Heartless from getting into the castle. Or," he added, "it used to."

"What happened?" asked Sora. "Is it Maleficent up to no good again?"

Mickey was about to answer, but it was Riku who got to it first.

"No," he said. "It's Xehanort, isn't it?"

Silence- complete and total silence- filled the air for a good ten seconds. Then Sora broke it.

"What?" he asked.

"His Heartless possessed me last year," said Riku. His eyes were focused on the floor. "Ever since then, I've been able to sort of...sense him."

"But...it can't be Xehanort!" exclaimed Sora. "He's all gone now! I mean, we managed to get rid of his Heartless- Ansem- and his Nobody- Xemnas. Doesn't that mean he's gone?"

"I thought so," said Mickey sadly. "But after I left theDestinyIslands, I went to speak with Master Yen Sid about certain...events."

Sora was sure Mickey had been on the brink of letting something slip, but he decided not to pursue the subject any further.

"What Master Yen Sid said to me," said Mickey, "was that Xehanort may not be quite as gone as we thought. If he is correct- and he always is- when both a person's Heartless and their Nobody are destroyed, the original person is soon regenerated."

"So...Xehanort's coming back?" asked Sora weakly.

"Indeed," said Mickey. "And I believe he is the cause of these dark clouds. The clouds are the reason all of those Heartless were able to get in," he added.

"Is Xehanort the one who is opening all the Keyholes again?" asked Riku.

"No," said Mickey. "It is a natural process... but one I am sure Xehanort is taking advantage of."

"What do you mean?" asked Sora. "What process is it that's happening here?"

Mickey turned to his right towards a large, heavy oak door. He pushed on it, and a smaller door opened at ground level. He and the others stepped through.

"You see," said Mickey in a serious tone, as the group proceeded down the corridor, "when Ansem the Wise used his Data Encoder to damage the Kingdom Hearts created in the World that Never Was, he created a shockwave that he had not predicted...one which tore through all worlds in the universe, causing changes that even one such as he couldn't possibly have anticipated. One such change was the sudden reopening of the Keyholes."

The four reached the throne. Sora, Riku, and Mickey walked to the side of the throne's platform and pushed it to the side. A staircase was revealed underneath.

"That's cool!" exclaimed Kairi, as the group paused at the top of the stairs.

"While this disturbance would be unfortunate and very dangerous at any time," said Mickey, "its timing is beyond dangerous...possibly deadly."

"What does that mean?" asked Riku.

"I am not the one to explain that," said Mickey. "Here, in the Hall of the Cornerstone, I have someone who is more well-equipped to tell you."

The group went down the stairs.

At the base was a shiny metal room with silvery walls. At the center, on a large pedestal, was a glass sphere; inside was what appeared to be a core of pure light energy.

"Is that...it?" asked Kairi in awe.

"Yep," said Mickey.

Suddenly, Sora noticed there were other people in the room. He instantly recognized Minnie, queen of the castle. He also recognized Donald's girlfriend, Daisy. There were also two people he didn't recognize: a boy leaning against a wall, looking bored, and a girl standing by the Cornerstone, looking rather nervous.

"Oh, good!" exclaimed Minnie as the group came into the room and Mickey ran to shut the crown-shaped doors to the chamber. "You're all fine! How are you?"

"I'm doing fine!" said Sora.

"I've been better," said Riku, "but I'm okay."

"And you must be Kairi!" exclaimed Minnie, smiling at the redhead. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too," said Kairi, smiling back.

"Who are these two?" asked Sora, indicating the bored boy and the nervous girl. "I've never seen them before."

"Hey," said the boy, straightening up and coming over to greet Sora and the others. "The name's Ignis. And that's my little sister Skyler over there."

Ignis was tall, nearly six feet tall, but seemed to be just fourteen or so. He had long hair like Riku's, except it was a bright red, even brighter than Kairi's. His eyes were bright blue and incredibly intense, and he seemed to be confident with every move he made.

Skyler did not have her brother's confidence. She was about thirteen or so, with waist-length hair that was an odd purple color, with eyes of vivid green. She seemed to be an extremely delicate girl, and she huddled close to the bright Cornerstone of Light as if it were a campfire, and the room was freezing cold.

"Mickey wants me to tell you about what's going on," said Ignis in his deep, clear voice. "You know, with all the Heartless swarming the grounds and stuff."

"Please don't mention them," said Skyler in a nervous, trembling voice. She had a high, almost musical voice, and it made her seem like an innocent little girl, which in a way she probably was.

"Sorry about Skyler," apologized Ignis. "She's not so scared usually. She's the bravest girl I've ever known."

"I'm also the ONLY girl you've ever known," Skyler said, laughing a little bit.

"Shut up," said Ignis playfully. Then he turned back to Sora and the others, and he went serious again. "You've got the basics of the situation from Mickey here," he said. "But now I've got to tell you exactly what's going on... and why it couldn't possibly have happened at a worse time."

Sora was paying attention hard now, although Riku, he noticed, seemed to be only half interested in the discussion. The white-haired teenager seemed every couple seconds to glance in Skyler's direction.

"Do you know what a 'turning point' is?" asked Ignis.

"No," said Sora, who had never heard of one before.

"Isn't it, like, a very important time or event inside of a timeline?" asked Kairi.

"Technically true," agreed Ignis, "but that's a **general** idea of a turning point. The ones I'm talking about are very important, very specific, and very, _very_ dangerous."

"It has to do with the worlds, doesn't it?" asked Riku.

"Yep," said Ignis. "You see, once in about a thousand years, all the worlds reach a turning point, a decision or an event that will either lead the world to peace and light... or plunge it into chaos and destruction."

"And...the worlds are about to reach that time again?" asked Kairi fearfully.

"Some are," said Ignis. "Others have already passed a turning point. Your world,DestinyIslands, has survived its turning point: your battle with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness at the End of the World. In fact, that battle was the turning point for a lot of worlds."

"Is that even possible?" asked Sora.

"Oh, yes," said Ignis. "More than one world can share a turning point."

"But what does that have to do with Xehanort's plan?" asked Riku. "Or the Keyholes?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," said Ignis, a little frustrated now. "The Keyhole is a doorway straight to the heart of the world. If Xehanort could gain control of the Keyhole of a world as it reached its turning point, he would have full control over the outcome of said turning point. He wouldn't have to bother with large armies of Heartless and Nobodies; it would be easier just to make the world plunge itself into darkness."

"WHOA!" exclaimed Sora. "Back up! Did you say Heartless AND Nobodies?"

"Yeah," said Ignis bitterly. "Somehow he's gotten the Heartless and Nobodies on the same side. When the attack onDisneyCastlebegan, it wasn't just Heartless; there were just as many Nobodies. But the Nobodies were easier for us to defeat, so they retreated and let the Heartless do the work for them. I have to admit, it's working."

"And how exactly DID those Heartless get so strong?" asked Sora. "There's no way they were that tough when we fought them last!"

"I'll answer that," said Mickey, stepping forward now. "Did you see those clouds covering the sky outside?"

"Yeah," said Sora. "Did the Heartless cause that?"

"Not as far as I know," said Mickey. "But they're why the Heartless got so powerful. They've covered the sun for days, shrouding the entire world in darkness. And as you all know, the Heartless thrive in darkness."

"So, the clouds made it not sunny anymore, and then it made the Heartless stronger?" asked Kairi, trying to get her mind around all of it.

"Yep," said Ignis. There was something troubling him, Sora could see now. It was like there was something that he didn't want to say.

"What is it?" asked Sora. "You're holding something back, like it's too painful to say."

"It's nothing," said Ignis. "It's just ridiculous, a story I heard when I was little."

"What?" persisted Sora.

Ignis sighed and turned away from the group for a few moments to look at Skyler. "Should I tell them?" he asked.

"If it has a chance to help them, go for it," said the girl quietly, shivering a little.

Ignis sighed deeply, then turned back to the group and asked a question.

"Have any of you ever heard the story of the Domain of Doors?"

"No," said the four. Even Mickey seemed not to have heard of this.

"How do YOU not know this?" asked Sora, turning to Mickey in surprise.

"Ignis never mentioned this before," said Mickey in a puzzled tone. "Why?" he asked Ignis.

"I didn't think it was prudent to mention it," muttered the teenager. "I thought it was just a myth, but Skyler and I have been thinking about it, and the more we learn about all these turning points and Xehanort's plans...we're starting to think there may be some truth to it."

"Well?" asked Kairi. "What is the Domain of Doors?"

"It's a world," said Ignis quietly. "According to an old story that my mom used to tell me...it's a world unlike any other."

"How different?" asked Riku.

"According to legend," said Ignis, "there was a temple in the world, theTempleofReality. It is said that inside the temple were doors that, if unlocked with a Keyblade, could send you to the world they represented instantly."

"And how many worlds had doors inside the temple?" asked Mickey cautiously.

"All of them," said Ignis simply. "The temple allowed you to go to any world in existence."

There was a pause. Then...

"What?" asked Sora; then he spoke louder. "_What_?"

"It's like a shortcut between worlds," said Ignis sadly. "If Xehanort could seize control of the Domain of Doors, it would be easy for him to spread his darkness throughout all the worlds."

"We need to stop him!" exclaimed Sora. As he spoke, he summoned his Keyblade.

"Fortunately, it's not that easy to get there," said Ignis. "The people of the Domain realized exactly how dangerous it would be if theirTemplefell into the wrong hands. They sealed off their world, making it nearly impossible to get in from the outside."

"Oh," sighed Sora in relief. His Keyblade disappeared once again.

"But don't relax too soon," said Ignis warningly. "The Domain may be almost impossible to gain control of, but if Xehanort gets inside...it would be more dangerous than you can possibly imagine."

"It's a world that lets him send his armies to any other world he wants," said Riku. "I don't really see how it could possibly get any worse than that."

"Just listen!" shouted Ignis, suddenly angry. "Turning points! That's what it's all about! For Xehanort, that's what it's ALWAYS been about! Every turning point which ever occurred on any world remains in existence, frozen in time within theTempleofReality! Not only can those portals go to any world, if you know how to work the doors, you can use them to access that world at any turning point! They're not just portals to transport armies; they're doorways to the past and future, wormholes in time itself!"

"So, basically," said Mickey, considering what Ignis's words meant, "if Xehanort gets control of the Domain, then he could take over everything from the beginning?"

"That's about the size of it," said Ignis quietly. "That's why we need to start the plan NOW."

* * *

**A/N: And that is the end. Actually, now that I think about it, this would be a good place to end the chapter. If you guys REALLY REALLY REALLY want it, I will continue this story, but if not, then this is the last you'll hear of _Domain of Doors_. **

**For old times' sake...R&R!**


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